Family and funerals: Taking a relational perspective

Woodthorpe, Kate

doi:10.1080/07481187.2017.1325419

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The results of this study thus indicate that the relations between bereaved people and their deceased spouse are central during bereavement. Previous research has also indicated that the relations between people who are bereaved and the deceased are an important source of meaning (Ellis, 2013;Woodthorpe, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

2021

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Bereavement is an ongoing process of negotiation and meaning-making in which widows and widowers make sense of the changed nature of their relationship with their deceased spouse. We analyzed the experiences of meaning in life among older widows and widowers (aged 65+) using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; see Smith et al. in Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research, Sage, 2009), with the following question: How do widows and widowers search for meaning through continuing and/or transforming their bond to their deceased spouse? The results demonstrate that some of the widowed persons sought meaning through rituals or various means of after-death communication with their deceased spouses. Other participants transformed the bond, for example, through clearing out their deceased spouse’s belongings or a process of reconciliation. Many continued and transformed the bond simultaneously, which shows that negotiation of the relationship after the death of a spouse is an ongoing process in which both continuity and change are present. The experience of a violation of meaning in life affected the participants’ capacity to continue their bond with their deceased spouse.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

2021

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“…However, it also appeared the depth of care and support provided by a funeral director was impacted by their (the individual funeral director) desire to promote company reputation and remain competitive in the funeral directing industry. It may be argued that individuals now 'shop around' when choosing the service of a funeral director, rather than selecting the service most convenient to them (Parsons, 2003;Woodthorpe, 2017;Woodthorpe & Rumble, 2016). Funeral directors stated many young bereaved families have little experience of organising (or even attending) a funeral.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immediate bereavement experiences when a parent of dependent children has died of cancer: Funeral directors' perspectives

2020

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When a parent of dependent children dies, families are often unsure if and how children could be part of the immediate bereavement period. Children excluded can be more susceptive to negative outcomes. In-depth interviews explored funeral directors' (n23) experiences of providing a service to families in the immediate bereavement period, when a parent dies from cancer. Findings highlighted funeral directors can have an important role in guiding families through the distressing immediate bereavement period. Societal shifts are influencing this period, especially the funeral. Recommendations are discussed surrounding a pastoral role of the funeral director in the immediate bereavement period.

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“…Such emphasis on the mundanity of family practices at the end of life may in turn desanctify death and open up sociological and public discussion about dying which, despite the best efforts of scholars and charities, still remains in part sequestered (Woodthorpe, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘We Don’t Want to Go and Be Idle Ducks’: Family Practices at the End of Life

2019

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At present, end-of-life research, policy and practice typically prioritise the dying individual and consider the family an orbiting static unit. Sociological theorising of dying has reflected this trend, focusing on the macro-level and public rather than private sphere, with sociologists engaged in the study of family and relationships overlooking the end of life altogether. In addressing this gap, this article argues that the end of life is a relational experience in which everyday family practices are embedded and enacted. Drawing on two ethnographic studies, it demonstrates some of the ways in which family is actively ‘done’ at this time, principally in the transference of family practices into institutional settings, and shared decision making. In doing so, it makes a case for moving beyond a highly individualised emphasis on the person nearing the end of their life and an accompanying normative conceptualisation of family, towards an understanding that families (in all their diversity) and their continued (un)making are central to the experience.

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Family and funerals: Taking a relational perspective

Cited by 24 publications

References 57 publications

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

The Search for Meaning in Life Through Continuing and/or Transforming the Bond to a Deceased Spouse in Late Life

Immediate bereavement experiences when a parent of dependent children has died of cancer: Funeral directors' perspectives

‘We Don’t Want to Go and Be Idle Ducks’: Family Practices at the End of Life

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